Guest post from Darden’s Associate Director of Sustainability Programs Erika Herz:
Darden’s largest ever Alumni Reunion took place this past weekend with over 800 attending.
Our Institute for Business in Society (IBiS) sponsored two events: 1) a pharmaceutical industry-focused case discussion integrating considerations of ethics and finance, led by faculty Jared Harris and Mark Lipson, and 2) our 3rd annual gathering of “Alumni in Mission-Driven Careers.”
About 50 alumni with professional and voluntary experience in social and environmental impact shared meaningful insights with one another. They hold a variety of functional roles in the areas of renewable energy, corporate social responsibility, education, and nonprofit work. Many explained that their titles do not indicate the ways that social and environmental concerns are part of their “day jobs.” For example, participants included a brand manager of channel development and consumer packaged goods for a well-known coffee brand as well as a director of global business processes for one of the world’s largest retailers. Both are paying attention to the potential impact of natural resource limitations,and the opportunities inherent in efficiency throughout their companies’ value chain.
Darden alumni in nonprofit roles also shared their experiences while engaging with organizations like The Asia Society, Girls on the Run, and The Sunshine Foundation. As nonprofit-corporate partnerships become more common to address mutual goals, and as nonprofits increasingly are pressured by donors for concretely-measured outcomes, the skills of an MBA degree can be invaluable.
As this and this recent article about Darden from the Triple Pundit’s “The MBA Series” reflects, today’s MBAs find congruity between making money and making a difference. And the world needs them!
